Ref:
From Blessing Quarterly Summer 1987
In the preceding two issues of the Blessing Quarterly, we included the testimonies of many American couples from the 43 Couple Blessing.
We will continue to publish testimonies of elder couples. Here we offer the testimony of Martin Porter, who joined the movement in Europe
but worked in America for many years. The testimony of his wife, Marion, will appear in our next issue.
I was born and raised in England. My parents were in medicine and raised me
in the Anglican Church. One of five children, my lineage is a blend of religious
people and the military, with eight generations of ministers and many British Army
Generals.
A woman of very strong faith, my mother was a missionary in Canada during her youth
and also ran many charitable organizations in our area. She always felt that since
we received much, she wanted to give out in return. My father, as a doctor, felt
that he too had a mission to help people. On the whole, my ancestors and immediate
family were known to be a hard-working people; we always felt blessed for what we had.
By the time I was eight years old I began to realize I was having spiritual experiences.
Particularly in the moment between sleeping and waking, the walls of my room would begin
to dissolve, and I would go out to extraordinary places and meet people whom I had never
seen before.
Though I didn't understand their meaning, these experiences changed alter I was twelve
years old and became more religious in nature. I began to question how I could know more
about Jesus and come closer to God.
As I grew older, I sometimes saw Jesus or heard his voice, or I had deep insights
while reading the Bible. One thing Jesus said was that he was "coming again in my lifetime"
and that I would serve him. Also, "many would be called, but few chosen."
This message pleased me and also worried me a great deal, but he said he would guide my life
and I did not have to worry.
These experiences were warm and peaceful. I had a deep feeling for creation
as I sat for hours in the woods around my parents' home, feeling the presence and vitality
of God in the energy of the trees and vegetation. I felt the spiritual world very close,
and had so many answers to my prayers in that time. Even getting up on Sunday morning
to go to church-the spirit world would awaken me always five minutes before the alarm went off.
I always felt joy at going to church.
With these high and beautiful experiences I also felt depths of doubt,
faithlessness and depression. As I grew older, I became disillusioned
with the Anglican Church, partly because so many people, including ministers,
talked about faith and principles, but their lives did not reflect their words.
Looking at myself, I did not like what I saw, for my life seemed meaningless.
Other people's lives left me uninspired as well. Without purpose and direction,
I felt little motivation. I beheld my father, a dedicated doctor, who spent all his life
trying to cure his patients. Yet I thought somehow we should find the cause of illness,
rather than treat the effects which occur again and again. I wanted to come out
from under the umbrella of my family and my institutionalized environment.
So after finishing my studies in England, I went to Greece to try to find my true identity.
In Greece I tried to develop my skill in photography and did some photo-journal work.
However, I felt defeated that I had not found
any real answers to my deeper questions. I returned to England and was trained
in accounting at a firm of chartered accountants in London. It was good training,
but too many questions were on my mind to settle down.
At home I met a German film producer who invited me to make films with
him in Italy; this I gladly accepted. I entered Florence University in Italy and
took sociology courses, after which I went to Rome to study film-making at
the Rome Film School. I really hoped that by going to Italy, I could make a new
start, find meaning and purpose, and since Rome is a centre of Christianity-l
hoped to find God.
I even studied Catholic theology at night at the Gregorian University, but I
did not find God, nor any direction; gradually I became agnostic. I finally
invested totally in making movies. I stopped praying completely at this time.
In my final prayer I said that, although I had many revealing experiences in my
earlier life, my searches in my adult years had come to no avail; thus, I
decided to stop searching.
My life became more and more self-centred, hedonistic and unhappy.
Although I wanted to accomplish many things, in doing so, I found the goals
unfulfilled. I had a hard time adjusting to the Italian culture and way of life, and
left Italy more than ten times, only to return again and again. Whenever I left
Italy, I would experience a longing to go back, so finally I resolved to stay and find
out why I was there.
The last movie I made was different from any of the others. I made the film
with a friend who was in the Diplomatic Corp in Rome. It was for a good friend
of his, Prince Aliatta, the owner of the Adriatic Insurance Co. and Adriatic
Shipping Co.
The subject of the film was a documentary of a hospital for polymelitic
and spastic children from the ages of six months to six years old. My friend had
such enthusiasm and hope that this program would help many unfortunate children,
and he wanted me to make a movie to express this hope. I made the film in
technicolor, trying to make it as colourful as possible, but inside myself I began to
ask questions that I hadn't asked since I stopped praying four years before. Who
was responsible for the state that these children were in? Was it the sin of the
parents? Was it God's will? Who was responsible?
One evening after filming, we showed a preview of the footage to a,
group of people for their critique. Among the guests were Mrs. Doris
Orme and Marion Dougherty (Porter). Doris was very interested in talking with
me about the Divine Principle, but Marion tried to steer her away, because as
I found out later-I had a reputation for being analytical and cynically critical.
She thought I might criticize Doris and not appreciate her spiritual testimony.
The next evening I attended a talk by Mrs. Orme on the Ideal of Creation.
There was a very colorful group of people present from a variety of backgrounds,
including a six foot black man and his short white wife, a leader in the
Attica prison riot, a diplomat, an organist from church, an actress and an epileptic.
Mrs. Orme's lecture inspired a very intense discussion. I was quite interested
in everything said and came to hear more the next day. I had met many
famous religious teachers of other religions as well as Christian preachers, but
I was struck with the extraordinary clarity of Doris' thought and her definite
belief in what she was saying. I felt she was either quite right or quite wrong.
I was very moved by the explanation of the Principle of Creation, which gave
such deep insight into the meaning and purpose in life, and I could readily accept
all that was said about the spirit world.
The chapter on the Fall of Man struck me very deeply because this teaching
amplified what I already had felt, and explained everything in detail - which I
readily accepted.
The chapter on Jesus was truly shocking to me because even though I
had experienced Jesus many times in my earlier days, he had never told me that
he had not completed his mission.
Although I felt this part of the Principle was offensive to him, I could not deny
the logic and truth it expressed.
After this chapter, Mrs. Orme gave her testimony of experiences with Jesus
and those of Dr. Young Oon Kim. I realized that these two people, though having
many experiences in common with mine, had many more and different
experiences than I had had. Furthermore, I realized that Father, who discovered
these truths, had far deeper and more personal experiences with
Jesus than anyone I had ever known. I recalled Jesus' statement to me that he
would come again, the hope he imparted in the Bible about the blessedness of
those who followed Christ in the end time, and the dire warning to those who
would follow false Christs and lose their eternal life.
With these three points in mind, I took the Divine Principle book and went
to pray and fast for three days. I felt that I was at a crisis point in my life and had
to make the right decision. Since I bad been the one who willingly stopped
praying and searching for God, I now felt guilty and unworthy to ask God for anything,
and undeserving of any answer after the kind of life I had been leading.
I almost hoped God would not answer; this would have been the most comfortable
way out for me. However, God answered my prayer; I repented and felt
God as a forgiving parent, even though I bad not gone in His direction for such
a long time.
These thoughts brought me to a most humble state of heart; I realized God had
been looking for me even though I bad not been looking for Him and He really
cared about me as an individual. I could always understand that God would love
certain people because of accomplishments, but why me? Now I realized
He loves us because He is our parent. I was truly born again and felt peace and
worth as never before.
I felt a vibrant vitality from everything surrounding me. I knew
because of the truth, something dramatic had changed in my life. As I prayed
and read the Divine Principle, I began to have deep insights into its meaning.
When I prayed about Jesus' incomplete mission, he appeared to me together
with True Father and told me that True Father was completing his mission on
earth.
I had still many questions about Jesus' life and death and wanted to know more.
Jesus came many times and showed me about his relationship with his disciples,
with his family, and about his crucifixion.
The question of his crucifixion always puzzled me. Did God, our loving Father,
send His son just to die? What did Jesus feel about it? I had a vision: I was Jesus
on the cross, then I saw myself on the cross and began to feel what it was like
to be crucified. I felt not only the pain in my hands and feet, but intense pain in
the heart. I felt Jesus was dying and no one was there to continue his work; I
felt the lack of understanding and the abandonment from God. I blacked out
completely! From this I realized the Christian theology on this point was
quite wrong. Jesus did not come to die.
I had one experience when I first arrived in Florence. It was an absolutely
clear night and a clear moon shed light over the city; I felt God's presence all
around me like an all-embracing warmth, even though it was a cold night.
I was to experience His presence in my life in this way for many years, which
was always a source of inspiration and protection to me.
We did not see True Parents much; we heard often that he would come in
the spring, summer, fall, winter-and gradually the years passed without them
coming, but we really tried to apply the Divine Principle to our lives.
We longed to experience God in our lives. What was important to us was a
living, tangible relationship with God. If I had a question, in prayer I would
receive the answer to that question. I would pray for the people I was about to
meet, and I just felt His happiness that I was there to be able to talk to them.
In 1968 at the time of the Blessing of the 430 Couples, I was sitting in my car,
thinking about Father and what he may be doing. I was unaware that on that
particular day the Blessing would take place. Suddenly I saw little pink hearts
appear in the car all around me! It was an amusing vision and a very warming
experience. I was surprised and wondered what it could mean. The next day,
I took one of the members home from the centre and her parents invited me
in. They happened to be watching the news on television and suddenly I saw
the Blessing of the 430 couples being televised from Korea! That was an
extraordinary experience. I had just been talking to her about the marriages
in our church, and there it was on television! Incidents like this made us feel
the spirit of God so close. Since we had no television in the centre, God must
have been working so hard to have us at the right place and time to witness this!
In the early days in Rome, we had many deep spiritual experiences. Doris,
our leader, had many herself which may have been the basis for our having so
many experiences too. Every Sunday morning in the summer, we prayed outdoors
from midnight to 7 a. m. at a place called Monte Porzio. One particular
experience happened at 3 in the morning: a small sign of Omega appeared
over the city of Rome, and as it came toward us it grew bigger and bigger until
it covered about two-thirds of the night sky. This incredible vision lasted three
or four minutes, and all of us praying on the mountainside witnessed it.
Another night at the same place we saw a bright burst of light in the sky - a
tiny dot at first, which quickly grew to the size of the moon. Very soon after,
another burst of light appeared and another and another, forming the base
of four positions in the sky. The last burst of light turned pink, while the others
turned gold and green-it was so beautiful! Again, we all saw this vision;
there was no mistake. We had so many experiences on that hillside outside of
Rome.
Spiritual experiences were so common in those days, that if several days
went by without one, we thought there must be something wrong. It was difficult
talking about new truth in Rome. People would say to me, "What is new
in truth? Jesus came 2000 years ago, this city has been here for thousands of
years; what could possibly be new?" Our spiritual experiences gave us
strength and kept us very high in the midst of Roman pessimism.
At the time I heard the Principle, I was living in a tiny apartment above a
coffee shop, adjacent to the colosseum. We established the first study centre
where Doris (Walder) Orme lived with Barbara Burrows. I would meet Doris
early in the morning and spend the rest of the day going to meet people and
translating for Doris as she spoke about the Principle and gave her testimony.
We spent a lot of time meeting people, praying, visiting the important sites,
then towards late afternoon Doris would prepare for the evening's lecture while
I would witness or study.
I spoke Italian fairly well, but I found through translating the lectures to people
that the spirit of God was really moving through me. Many times I knew
what Doris would be saying next, or I felt God's spirit just speak through me.
This was a very new experience for me. Previous to this, I had taught English to
Italian families to earn funds while going to the university. But teaching the word
of God was quite different because the words would just pour out fluently. Later
when I taught Principle on my own, I sometimes would go out of my body and
look at myself, listen to what was being said and often learn new things. I found
that while I taught, I'd put emphasis on certain points that directly related to the
listener's life, though I knew nothing about that person's background. I felt
God speaking through me and guiding me in this way. It was not just a mental
exercise in teaching lectures, as it was when I was teaching English, but it was
something life-giving. Sometimes I would be very, very tired from working
long hours day after day without a break, yet when I was speaking, I felt enormous
energy-then when I stopped, I could just as easily go to sleep on the
spot!
I had enormous hope of changing the world and seeing God's will realized, and
my direct experiences of the spirit world gave me such strength and power.
These experiences were not separate from reality, but were given directly in
relationship to the people with whom we were working-whatever help people
needed. When I prayed for someone, very often that person would have a
spiritual experience.
I remember one boy, Aldo, whom I was teaching. I said that I would pray to
Jesus that Aldo could really understand who Sun Myung Moon is. Aldo said he
would pray to Mother Mary because he felt more familiar with her. So we
prayed.
Then Aldo had an incredible vision. He found himself in a church he attended
as a child. In the basement of the church were many large crosses stored there
for use in the processions in the streets. The crosses were so large that they
were usually carried by six or eight people, but Aldo picked up one of these
crosses himself and started walking up the stairs to the church. Then he realized
that it was rather strange he could carry this heavy cross alone. But as he
looked around, he noticed that Jesus had come down off the cross, so Aldo put his
cross down and walked with Jesus hand in hand out of the church. Aldo asked
Jesus, "Do you know Sun Myung Moon?" and Jesus replied, "Yes, I know
him." At that moment Jesus was wearing his long, traditional robes in the image
of the New Testament description. Then Aldo asked, "Is it true that he is
completing your mission? " Jesus answered, "Yes, unfortunately, yes."
From this, Aldo understood that Jesus would have liked to have completed him
mission but could not. At this point, Jesus' attire changed to Western dress
and his features became Oriental. Later, when I showed Aldo Father's picture, he
verified that that was the face he had seen in Jesus.
Since we did not have direct instructions from Father at that time,
we were grateful for these guiding experiences and confirmations from
heaven. I think we were very much aware that Father was praying for us,
but we did not actually meet him in person until 1969.
Before joining our church, I had been a rather quiet, contemplative person,
but after hearing the Divine Principle, I :h felt the conviction to speak out. This
produced an amazing change in my character! I finally had something worthwhile to offer
and I became very vocal from then onwards.
After six months, we moved into a larger centre in Rome where six of us
worked and. studied under Doris' direction. The night of July 1, 1966, I had a
wonderful "waking dream" where I awoke and went to the door. When I opened it,
I saw a thousand welcoming letters, piled up in a mountain, all congratulating
us and saying, "Thank you for coming" and "Welcome!" Also gold
coins were in the envelopes. Jesus came and was so pleased that we were establishing
the church there.
The previous centre served mainly for study, but this was the first time we
would all be living and working together. Before moving into the new centre, we
had a meeting of those who were studying Divine Principle, and no one could see
why we should have a centre to live in. Everyone felt that since we all
had our own apartments, why should we live together? But Doris and I both felt
that this was God's will, so we decided we would do it, even if no one wanted to
come. We thought that since God made the universe first and then man, then
perhaps when we had the facility, people would come.
My spiritual welcoming experiences were encouraging because our moving
into the centre was an act of faith. We couldn't really afford the seven-room
apartment. We pooled all our money together to make the down payment and
the first month's rent, but it still wasn't enough. At that time I sold my large
collection of camera equipment and thus, we were able to move in.
We had no money and very little else-no furniture except for the lecture
chairs, and we slept on marble floors. What furniture we gained always came
from donations, including the stove and the refrigerator, but gradually there was
enough to have people to dinner and lecture. Guests often made comments
about the lack of continuity in our decor!
Many times we would be completely out of money, but at the last moment
some donation would come that would be just enough to see us through. We
had to pay the rent at the first of the month and often-just two days before
it was due-we wouldn't have enough, then suddenly it would come!
In a few months I was able to get a job working as a business administrator
for an American High School in Rome. I had a good salary, and from then on we
were able to do much more.
It is interesting to write about all this after the fact. It sounds as if everything
just fit into place, but actually, we invested all our faith to realize the will of
God. It was just incredible how God filled all the gaps so we could continue in
His work. We had faith and also God came and helped us. This happened constantly
, making our faith so strong.
Once I questioned who ran the spirit world. I had a deep relationship with
Jesus, and many times I would call on him and he would come. Once when I
was ill and lying on a carpet, a big devil came into the room. It sat on me, pinning
me to the floor so I could not get up. I called upon Jesus but nothing happened.
Then I called very strongly for Father to give me a hand and he appeared in spirit
and fought with the devil until it disappeared. I realized Father's great
strength in the spirit world; if in prayer and love we call on his name, he can
protect us in a wonderful way.
Our church today is more practical and pragmatic, realizing physically the
Kingdom of Heaven. At that time, we felt we were living in the Kingdom of
Heaven in spirit, sharing our testimonies and feeling very much the presence
of God in our lives. In a sense, it was a very rewarding time experiencing this,
When I came to America, I never felt again the presence of the spirit world in
such an intense manner.
In those early days, we lived a very sacrificial life and there were abundant
benefits. We often fasted two or three times a week; we didn't go to movies,
celebrate birthdays or eat ice cream. We spent a lot of time in prayer. Our conversation
was minimal unless there was something important to share.
We only had the early Divine Principle book which was quite short, so we
had to work out many things, such as the foundation of faith and substance. But
without all the information, we needed to pray to understand the meaning of
restoration. This was very rewarding be case we would have realizations about
our life of faith this way. Discovering the truth through prayer is a penetrating
experience and one you never forget.
We started off with Miss Kim's edition of a blue book. Then the study guide
came out, then the red book. Divine Principle and its Application.
Finally the black book came out. I remember that I translated the Divine Principle into
Italian seven different times, each time a new edition came out.
But Father always gave his guidance to us. To be a spiritual parent, one has
to really give up his life to the other person and pray to be willing to pay any
price of indemnity; one has to totally live for a period of time for that spiritual
child, or he just won't have the strength to overcome. I think this was the trouble
in the earliest time - we didn't pay indemnity for spiritual children and therefore,
could not bring them over the hill.
In August of 1967, Mrs. Orme went to Holland, Marion went to pioneer England
and I took over the direction of Italy. By 1969 we had a small group in Rome
and I sent Barbara Burrows to establish a centre in Milan. When Father came in
1969, there were still very few members in Europe. However, with the Blessing of
the 43 couples, there was great development in the next few years.
I met Father for the first time in England in March of 1969. Father went out
of his way to make us happy. Previously, some members held the view that the
Messiah would come to judge us, as is predicted in the Bible. But in my prayers,
Father had said to me that he should come as a loving parent, and this is what
he did. Whatever he said was so full of logic and undeniably true; he was so vital
and enthusiastic about everything! Later, when I met him in his room, he said that
if we followed his direction, we would make thousands of members and millions of dollars
to save the world. Even though we had trouble paying the rent and had only a few members
at the time, his resounding words made us feel as though it was already realized. I
remember I couldn't take my eyes off Mother, as her serenity and peace were
enchanting. I wished that they would never leave.
After England, I went on to Germany with True Parents where the 43 Couple
Blessing took place, and then I went to Italy to prepare for the True Parents
coming. We had a wonderful tour together by car throughout Italy.
Father came once again to Europe in 1971 with a small group of people and I
toured with him for 28 days. Father invited me to travel with him in order to
film the European part of the World Tour. We visited England, Germany, Holland, France
and then Italy.
At that time, we had many mediums who were associate members. Father realized that this
posed quite a challenge to the Italian church, as they an received many different
personal revelations. He spoke then about unity with the central figure.
One of the mediums was from Florence, and she had a following of about 20 people who
consulted with her and were learning Divine Principle. When the group came more towards the
Divine Principle, the higher truth filled their hearts more and the medium felt
jealous and tried to hold them back. She had opened the door for them, but at the
same time, was standing in the doorway and not allowing them to enter. The
spirit world gave me the difficult task of telling her that if she did not change
she would become ill - which is exactly what happened. I tried to explain, but she felt
I was wrong and that she was paying indemnity for her group. Later the spirit
world told me that if she did not change, she would die. She rejected this too and
soon died. I realized from this that great indemnity has to be paid by a person who
blocks the way for others to join.
One of the mediums from Moderna was very different. This woman, Lidia,
was blind. I put into her hand a bell from Father's wedding cake and asked her
what it was. She looked most perplexed as she began to receive heavenly messages.
At first she could not believe the messages as they were so incredibly
unusual, then she said, "Yes, God has a basis on earth through this man; divine
marriage; no one can stop him." Then I questioned her about Father and she told me
in detail about the origin of sin Father discovered. Later, I invited her
to Rome to pray at the Holy Ground. I did not explain anything to her, only that
we would walk together with other members in a park. As we came to the tree which
Father had blessed, I left her to stand alone. She trembled and shed many tears as
she felt the deep spiritual importance of the place.
Then Lidia asked me to take her to St. Peter's and the Vatican. As we approached, she said,
"It is very dark here" - and soon she wanted to leave. We then approached the Obelisk where
the second Holy Ground is. There she felt it was like a beautiful garden full of flowers,
notwithstanding the cobblestones under her feet.
I had been witnessing, teaching and working with the mediums in Florence and Milan.
Both women inspired membership to our church and in 1971, we established a centre in Milan
and Rome (Via Traviso). The centre was to be the foundation for all our members to come.
Myself and six others, plus my family (now two children) lived and studied together.
There was Mario and Lucianna and their two children, plus Elio, Giorgio and Paula.
We were very much a family at that time. In Italy, family loyalty is supremely honoured
and the new members transferred this characteristic towards one another. Italians,
once in league with each other, like to live "in each other's pockets". In other words,
nothing is hidden or withheld either in feelings, thoughts, goals or possessions.
Any troubles or conflicts immediately surfaced, as well as an abundant sharing of daily
experiences, new relationships and insights.
Everyone gave their material possessions to the centre and there was virtually no sense
of ownership; we were a family. We witnessed mainly at the University in Rome and to support
ourselves, we sold the first chapters of Divine Principle.
My life was spent teaching and counselling family members each evening, encouraging them through
their many and varied phases of spiritual growth. Soon more members joined: Guido
Lombardi and his sister, then Laura and Marissa. Meanwhile, our centre in Milan was gradually
increasing in membership too, where Barbara Burrows was working and teaching. With each
person, we felt a deep sense of hope that we would see the new world come about, and our fervent
goal was to build something for God and our True Parents so that we would be ready to meet their
needs.
Later in 1971, Father visited us a second time, and all the European directors met in Germany.
Paul Werner and I were chosen to represent Europe at the WACL conference in the Philippines.
Before returning from the WACL conference, Paul and I went to visit Father in Korea, our first
visit to the Fatherland.
Being with Father and Mother in Korea, where the dispensation began, was enormously rewarding.
We travelled to Pusan and other significant places, and upon returning to Seoul, were escorted
to the countryside to meet Father and Mother at the lake. We sat together with our True Parents
and Mrs. Choi for dinner. Towards the end of the meal, I glanced at Father's plate and thought
how I would cherish having one of the grapes still left there. Suddenly Father picked up the bunch
of grapes from his plate and gave them all to me. I was stunned and deeply moved; he is so sensitive
- he knew my every thought.
We traveled back with Father and Mother, which was a deeply peaceful experience. As I observed
them holding hands, I felt the warm and embracing power of God's love in their presence.
I returned to Italy with new vigour but soon afterwards,
Father came to America and started the International IOWC.
We in Italy soon participated, and I arrived in the U. S. with 20 members.
Father needed more, so I went back to Italy and returned again with 30 more members. This time
Father asked us all to stay.
After working for a year as a communicator between Father and our IOWC teams, Father selected a
team for me to lead in the 32 City Tour. With 23 Japanese and as many Italians, French and
Americans, it was quite a challenge to establish unity, convey directions and accomplish the
strategy of the campaign. I usually spoke in English and Italian, while two other interpreters
translated in French and Japanese! This was a great testimony to our True Parents, as only our
motive to fulfill their vision could have brought us all to work together. The unity of True
Parents' vision and God's will were confirmed over and over again as the members of our
international team shared their deep spiritual experiences at the end of a day's activities.
Though I was greatly challenged, I knew we had to be successful. There was no question of
can we get the people to the banquet and the speech, or can we get the appropriate facilities we had to.
There was no margin for doubt!
The 32 City Tour was divided into regions which were assigned to teams. Our team was responsible
for New Haven, Connecticut; Jackson, Mississippi; Fargo, North Dakota and Birmingham, Alabama.
These cities were very far apart and we were in the midst of the gas crisis. At that time, only
$2 worth of gas was allowed at a time! During the campaigns, we usually lived about 60 miles
outside our city. In early morning our vehicles were lined up at the gas stations before they opened.
In spite of obstacles, we possessed powerful determination and through all difficulties,
we felt charged with motivation which certainly was not generated from ourselves alone.
For many of us, this was the first experience of cooperation with those in the spirit world.
Only this could explain the miracles that transpired to help us accomplish our mission.
Our faith was constantly put to the test, and then deeply rewarded through the unforeseen events
that helped us achieve our goals.
After the 32 City Tour, we participated in the Celebration of Life campaign and then the 8 City Tour,
beginning with Madison Square Garden. An these events occurred within 6 months time, which is a
miracle in itself! We also gained 140 members on our team before it was divided up into a larger
team under the leadership of Rev. Vincenz.
After the tours, I travelled to Korea with Father in 1975 and spent some days in his company,
visiting the centres and observing activities. I was inspired and impressed by all the progress, including
our titanium factory, Tongil industries and Ginseng productions.
When I returned to Italy afterwards, our congregation began fundraising to secure a workshop site
in the hills of Rome. We were going to build it our selves; I drew the plans and brought
them to America for Father's approval at the next conference. He looked at the plans and said
he had a better idea for our money - buy Ginseng!
I wondered how Italians would take to Ginseng after centuries of drinking espresso,
and also how our members would respond to the new plans - as they anxiously awaited news
about the new workshop site. Although this was an abrupt change in plans,
I felt a burning zeal about the project because Father had requested it.
This was a great opportunity for everyone to put their faith in Father's vision, and in the end,
Ginseng earned enough for us to build more than our workshop site,
although we never seemed to get the time to do it.
In June of 1977, Father sent me to Canada where a new indemnity course began.
It was a difficult mission because the movement there was at a bare beginning.
Although the members were few, some carried conflicts in their hearts that were unresolved,
and we couldn't become unified and productive
immediately. I felt as though we were beginning all over, except this time with
a few subtracting factors.
Striving for a new foundation, however, taught me something more about the patient and
persevering heart of our Heavenly Father who, despite victorious periods in the history of restoration,
has had to begin again, when defeats or failures nullified a painstakingly built foundation.
In six years' time we did regain that foundation, new membership, and a deer ranch of 300 elk and red deer.
In 1983 Father called me to work in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.
Here the world providence of restoration is ever more pressing.
Although our work is boat-building and fishing, we also feel the urgent need to fulfill the providence of Home Church.
I feel deep regret that we, as a church movement worldwide, could not pay enough indemnity, nor create -
following Father's direction - a strong enough movement that could have served as the indemnity condition
for world restoration, so that Father would not have had to go on this course.
Even though there have been so many victories and so much indemnity paid,
it is so sad that Father himself has to continually
pay the greater and greater price. My determination is to work harder, sleep less, and pay more indemnity
to realize my responsibility, as well as to inspire others to do the same.